Numerical Modelling of Impact Loads on RC Beams Utilizing Spent Garnet as a Replacement for Fine Aggregate

Abstract

Spent Garnet (SG) is one of the waste materials that attracts the interest of researchers to use it as a replacement for fine aggregate in concrete materials. As experimental investigation was carried out to assess the performance of a reinforced concrete (RC) beam incorporating SG as a substitute for fine aggregate. The study involved subjecting the beam to low-velocity impact loads within a controlled testing configuration. The primary objective of this study was to determine the optimal proportion of spent garnet (SG) to replace fine aggregates in reinforced concrete (RC) beams subjected to impact loads with a 100 kg impact weight dropped from a height of 1.5m, equivalent to a velocity of 5.4 m/s. To evaluate the effectiveness of SG as a replacement for fine aggregates, RC beams with varying percentages of SG (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) were numerically modelled using the Finite Element Method (FEM) incorporating the Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) constitutive model to simulate their behaviour under low-velocity impact loads. The study aimed to comprehensively examine the failure mode of the RC beams. The findings through FEM showed that the inclusion of SG in the concrete mix enhanced the material's behaviour and decreased the failure and damage of the beams as the percentage of SG in the mix increased, indicating its effectiveness as a replacement for fine aggregates, which is consistent with the experimental results.